A rugby coach from Winscombe has been named unsung hero for the West of England for his commitment to sport.

Gareth Waterfield, who is deaf and wears a cochlear implant, set up girls rugby at Winscombe RFC five years ago and he now has four teams and more than 100 players.

The coach was given the award by the BBC and he will attend the Sports Personality of the Year ceremony on December 17 to find out if he has been chosen as the overall winner.

Gareth was speechless when he won the award and wants to thank John Podpadec for nominating him.

He said: “It has always been my dream to go to the awards evening with the world’s best sporting stars. I’m humbled that I am seen as an inspiring coach as all I have ever wanted since I had my cochlear implant and couldn’t play anymore was to introduce the brilliant game of rugby to children.”